Elon Musk sent an email to Twitter Inc. employees requiring them to pledge to stay with the company, working long hours at “high intensity” during its transformation, or to accept a buyout.
Staff will have to complete the online form by 5 p.m. New York time on Thursday or accept three months severance. For Twitter to succeed, “we will need to be extremely hardcore,” Musk said in the email, which was seen by Bloomberg.
Read More: Big Tech Is Laying Off Tons of Workers. That’s a Bad Sign for Your Company, Too
“Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade,” the email said.
A representative for Twitter didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Washington Post reported the memo earlier.
Read More: Elon Musk Has Inherited Twitter’s India Problem
Musk said in the note that Twitter will be more dominated by engineers going forward, making up the majority of remaining employees and having the greatest influence at the company, which he called a “software and servers company” at its heart. Design and product management functions will “still be very important and report to me,” he said.
More from TIME
The billionaire announced plans to fire about 3,700 people in his first week in control of the company. The cuts, which included most of Twitter’s senior management, have upset many of the remaining employees. Musk’s changes have also led to a lack of communication internally and concerns about product breakdowns and technical outages, according to current and former staffers.
Read More: Twitter Was a Lifeline for People With Disabilities. Musk’s Reign Is Changing All of That
Since then, Musk has continued to purge employees who have criticized him, sometimes via Twitter.
Musk has warned since his $44 billion acquisition last month that Twitter could face bankruptcy if it doesn’t start generating more cash. He has told employees they can expect to work 80-hour weeks and fewer office perks like free food, and ended the company’s work-from-home policy with a few exceptions.
— With assistance from Ed Ludlow.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Your Vote Is Safe
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- How the Electoral College Actually Works
- Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You
- Column: Fear and Hoping in Ohio
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com